Chapter 21
WREN
I’m still reeling from Axel asking me to be his old lady. I didn’t expect him to do that. I thought that things would be different after what Dylan did, but of course, he proved me wrong.
I’ve been off for two days this week at Lenny’s insistence, but I’m going fucking nuts. Our client’s court date is today, and there’s no way that I’m going to miss it. We’ve worked too hard to make sure that Alexis doesn’t lose her kids, and I’m not going to slack now.
I had my first session with my therapist yesterday.
Cane set me up with her. She’s a colleague of his daughter Paisely’s therapist. She saw her for a while when she was really little because Cane was worried about how difficult it would be for her to not have her mom around.
Cane is an amazing father for setting that up for her, and an amazing friend for looking out for me.
You wouldn’t know it from his grumpy exterior, though.
Dr. Grimes is great so far. She didn’t push me too much in my first session, but we talked about how I knew Dylan, and she knows the basics of what happened.
Something I really wasn’t expecting was Patience getting kicked out of the clubhouse.
Apparently, Axel talked to the guys about it, and they all agreed that she needed to go.
It didn’t matter that she was here as a favor to another charter, she was sticking her nose in things where it didn’t belong, and that was how every brother felt.
It’s nice to know that I won’t have to deal with her glaring at me every time I’m here.
I quickly dress in black slacks, a black button-down shirt, and black heels before walking back into the bathroom to pin my hair back in a clip.
I leave out a few pieces to frame my face and apply the last of my makeup, a nude lipstick, to my lips.
I had to go a little heavier than I like with my makeup to cover the bruising from the attack, but I managed to hide it all.
I walk back into the closet and grab my watch and a set of earrings, putting them on and then grabbing my purse.
Axel has been taking me everywhere, and he cleared his schedule to be with me today, but I’m thankful for it.
Even though I don’t want to admit it, I feel so much safer with him around.
I know he would never let Dylan get anywhere near me.
I walk out of the bedroom and into the living room where I find Axel sipping on his coffee on the couch.
He’s dressed in a pair of black pants and a grey Henley.
He’s not wearing his cut because he’s going to sit in the courtroom today.
His dark blonde hair is freshly cut in his usual buzz, and his beard is neatly trimmed.
“Did you go to the barber already this morning?”
He smiles up at me and offers me a cup of coffee. I grab it and take a seat on the couch next to him. “I did. I wanted to make sure I looked good for court today.”
I snort. “You’re not the one on trial, Ax.”
“No,” he chuckles. “But I want to look good for you.”
I lean over and give him a kiss before taking a sip of my coffee. It’s delicious. He knows exactly how I drink my coffee after the last few days. I’ve needed it to stave off the sleepiness I feel. Sleep is still broken for me because of the nightmares. Thankfully, Axel is there every time.
We spend those next ten minutes in comfortable silence, just enjoying our coffee and each other’s company.
We finish and put our mugs into the sink before walking out of the clubhouse and to my SUV.
Axel hops into the driver’s side and I slip into the passenger’s seat.
I clip my seatbelt and release the breath I was holding.
My anxiety is through the roof right now.
“You guys are going to do great, baby,” Axel murmurs softly as he starts the vehicle. “You’ve done your homework and Lenny knows what he’s doing. That asshole doesn’t stand a chance.”
I give him a weak smile as he pulls out of the clubhouse parking lot and then watch out the window as Luke rides up behind us on his bike.
I haven’t had a chance to speak with him, but I guess he’s coming with us as backup today.
I wonder how Axel feels about it, but I don’t have to ask as I look at him and find him clenching his jaw.
“Hey, I’m not mad at him, so you shouldn’t be either,” I tell him.
I don’t know what caused Luke to say those things about me, but I don’t think that’s how he really feels. Luke has always been nothing but kind to me. He’s not that kind of guy.
We’re meeting Lenny at the courthouse before our time with the judge so we can go over a few questions that he might ask Alexis, just so she’s prepared. I know that once I get there, the nerves will subside. This is what I want to do with my life.
We drive one town over until we reach the courthouse in Allenville.
Silver Springs is tiny, so we don’t ever get to try cases in town.
I wait for Axel to get out of the SUV and walk around to my side to open the door for me.
I step out and let him lead me to the door.
I can feel Luke behind us as we climb the steps.
We wait at security until they clear us and then I lead the guys toward the meeting rooms. They take a seat outside the room while I walk inside, closing the door behind me.
Lenny is already inside, and we get to work, getting everything ready before Alexis shows up. When she walks inside, we prep her for trial. By the time we’re ten minutes out, she’s ready.
“You’re going to nail this,” I tell her as we walk toward our court room. “Only answer the questions that the judge asks and do your best to ignore Zach. He’s going to do his best to get a rise out of you. We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
She nods her head nervously.
“You have nothing to be nervous about,” Lenny assures her. “We won’t leave your side.”
He opens the door and leads us all inside. We take our seats on our side of the room and Axel and Luke sit behind us. I don’t pay them any attention because I’m in the zone and I don’t want anything to mess with that.
We watch as the judge walks into the room and I frown when I look over at the other table and don’t see Zach or his lawyer. I look back at the judge and see him frowning at the empty seats as well.
“Mr. Thompson, it’s good to see you again,” Judge Caldwell greets us. “I’m not sure where Mr. Cooper and Mr. Rycroft are,” he mutters before the door to the courtroom opens.
“Sorry for the delay, your honor,” Mr. Cooper’s voice rushes out as his footsteps get closer to the table. “Mr. Rycroft’s car didn’t want to start so I had to pick him up.”
“Of course, it didn’t,” Judge Caldwell mutters.
When Mr. Cooper takes his seat at the table, I glance to my right to get a look at Zach Rycroft. When he walks into my line of sight, every muscle in my body locks up. My stomach drops and I feel the blood leech from my face, because Zach Rycroft is Dylan.